101 Things in 1,001 Days

for those of you that know me well, you know i'm tragically inconsistent with following through with big ideas. and small ones, for that matter. so, when i saw 101 thing in 1,001 days on erin*carly's blog the other day, i thought 'hey, look at this! another big idea. i'm gonna give this one a try.'

and then i remembered my less-than-stellar history with this kind of stuff.

i wrestled with the idea some more. on one hand it sounds like a great idea. and it would finally prove to myself, that yes, i can finish something. but, on the other hand, honestly, am i really going to give a fuck in a week, a month, a year?

well, obviously i decided to, in fact, force myself to 'give a fuck.' at least for now that is. when i approached the task of making my list, which was surprisingly harder than i thought it was going to be, i tried to include things that i not only want to do but also some things that i need to do.

and when i finally came to good ol' number 101, i looked back at the list and thought, 'if i actually do all of this (or at least the majority) in about 2.75 years, that'd be pretty bad ass.' we shall see.

start date: 1.13.07
end date: 10.10.10

two things that immediately come to mind regarding the end date: 1) it's triple 10, and 2) the 2010 chicago marathon is probably on october 10th. and that being one of my goals, i thought it was a good omen. some sort of numerical blessing, if you will.

drum roll please. and now for the list...

1. Introduce myself to one new person a month [2/33]
• Akin [completed 1.18.08]
  
• John [completed 2.1.08]
  
• Betty [completed 3.20.08]
2. Call parents every Sunday
3. Send postcard once a month for no reason [1/33]
• Marta in Finland & Don in Tampa [completed 1.25.08]
• Laura in Providence & Alison in Manhattan [completed 2.13.08]
  
4. Travel to 2 continents [0/2]
   
5. Sip wine in Napa Valley
6. Run the Chicago Marathon
7. Skydive with Kersten
8. See the sunrise & sunset once a year, in a different location [0/3]
   
9. Set a budget & live by it for two months straight (hopefully, it’ll last longer)
10. Read one new book a month [0/33]
    
• Imperial Life in the Emerald City [completed 2.4.08]
• Time Traveler's Wife [completed 3.8.08]
• Devil in the White City
11. Knit myself a piece of clothing
12. Take Wrigley to the dog park or beach at least once a month [0/33]
    
13. Visit my parents once a month [2/33]
    
14. Apply to and get accepted into Northwestern grad school
15. Refine billiards skills – learn to make bank shots
16. Learn how to make five new homemade breads [0/5]
    
17. Become a local tourist – explore 15 different Chicago neighborhoods [3/15]
• Lincoln Square w/John [completed 1.21.08]
• Bucktown w/Jake & Jorie [completed 2.15.08]
  
• Buena Park [completed 3.14.08]
18. Watch a Cubs game from the bleachers or a rooftop
19. Take my grandma to one Cubs game a season [0/3]
    
20. Take a roadtrip to a new place
21. Visit Grand Teton National Park
22. Volunteer at least once a month [0/33]
    
23. Camp in the Boundary Waters
24. Return to Birch Camp for next two summers [0/2]
    
25. Keep a gratitude journal for one year
26. Have a picnic
27. Vote in the primaries on Super Tuesday [completed 2.5.08]
28. Play a full round of golf
29. Sing at a karaoke bar
30. Tell someone how I feel about them – sober
31. Spend a Saturday at the Harold Washington Library
32. Get a tattoo – design TBD
33. Buy a bike and ride it to work
34. Fill out a scorecard at a baseball game
35. Share pho with five people [0/5]
• Mom & Dad [completed 2.10.08]
• John [completed 2.17.08]
  
36. Go to Brew & View at the Vic
37. Take a cooking class at Chopping Block
38. See Kersten graduate from Indiana University
39. Meet someone I became friends with online in person
40. Relentlessly recycle
41. Vote in the 2008 election
42. Find a new perfume
43. Send a Postsecret
44. Get a new job that challenges me everyday
45. Stand up in a friend’s wedding
46. See a Notre Dame football game
47. Take a bath by candlelight
48. Visit a country where I don’t know the language
49. Eat dinner at Alinea
50. Buy a record player for the growing collection I already have
51. Stay out all night
52. Go to bed at 11pm for one week [0/7]
    
53. Run with Chicago Hash House Harriers
54. See a show at Second City
55. Play in a kickball league
56. Say ‘I love you’ to someone I haven’t
57. Attend two protests - one I support, one I don't [1/2]
    
• Anti-war protest marking 5-year anniversary [completed 3.18.08]
58. Get a compliment on something I bought at a thriftstore
59. Sell something on Craigslist
60. See Kathy Griffin live
61. Attend a bluegrass festival – Telluride, maybe?
62. See a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater
63. Go on three first dates [1/3]
• John [completed 2.1.08]
  
64. Twenty random acts of kindness [0/20]
    
65. Write ‘thank you’ notes to people in my past
66. Take a family portrait
67. Lose 10 pounds
68. Lose 10 pounds
69. Lose 10 pounds
70. Stay in a hostel in foreign country
71. Ask Jerry & Burr to be my mentors
72. Go to Off the Street Club Third Thursday’s ten times [0/10]
    
73. Use canvas shopping bags - exclusively - for groceries
    
74. Visit Canada
75. Make five new Barefoot Contessa recipes - and use the 'good' ingredients [0/5]
    
76. Buy one piece of local art
77. Make a dish for Thanksgiving
78. Post to Vox everyday for one month [0/30]
    
79. Make two comments per day on blogs for one month [0/60]
    
80. Watch The Godfather trilogy [0/3]
    
81. Attend two neighborhood festivals in Chicago that I haven't been to yet [0/2]
    
82. Visit the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Oak Park
83. Floss everyday for two months [0/60]
    
84. Listen to ‘This American Life’ live on Saturday mornings
85. Read a book exclusively outdoors
86. Beat Dr. Mario, Level 20 on High
87. Pack a lunch at least 4 out of 5 days a week
88. Cheer on marathon runners in October
89. Attend the South Side Irish parade
90. Visit the Lincoln Park Zoo
91. Send out Happy New Year cards
92. Revamp resume, top to bottom
93. Host a board game night
94. Donate 101 things to charity [28/101]
    
95. Learn to bake new doggie biscuits
96. Run an 8k
97. Run a Half Marathon
98. Get a book signed
99. Look for beach glass with Mom
100. Go sledding
101. Write another 101 Things to do in 1,001